“I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.”

“So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.”

– Frodo and GandalfThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

I love this little exchange. Frodo is out of his element and having a hard time dealing with the weight of his burden, especially as he begins to lose his dear friends. Gandalf, who has seen far more danger, pain, and loss, comforts his small friend with this insight. It does no good for us to dwell on the pain of things, overwhelming as it may be. Pain comes to us all. No one has it easy all the time. We may curse our fate, but our fate remains in our own hands, so long as we make a choice. The weight of yesterday and today and tomorrow can be carried, if we simply strive to set our own course.We are captains of our ship, masters of our soul, if we simply choose to be.